The Netherlands is small, and the trains are good, so a lot of the country is within a day of Amsterdam. I only managed two day trips: Keukenhof and Zaanse Schans, on …

At the end of April and the start of May, I thought the city centre would be buzzing with tulips. It wasn’t. Maybe I had missed the moment. Amsterdam was buzzing in …

After the Night Watch, I thought the rest of the Gallery of Honour would be a breeze. The Night Watch hangs in its own room at the far end of the gallery, …

I did not expect to love the pasta at The Duchess in Amsterdam as much as I did. Every dish we ordered was excellent and full of flavour, and the pastas were …

Amsterdam rewards a plan. The Night Watch, Almond Blossom and the canal ring are all here, but so are the timed tickets, the terraces where nobody gives up a table on a …

‘t Nieuwe Kafé is on Dam Square, facing the Royal Palace, right in the centre of Amsterdam. The W Amsterdam, where we stayed for a few days, sits just behind the palace, …

I spent a week in Amsterdam in late April and early May 2026, and I left with a list of places I still want to go back to. This is the short …

Who would have guessed that one of my favourite meals in Amsterdam would be Chinese? I did not come to the Netherlands expecting to eat Chinese food, let alone to enjoy it …

Almond Blossom is my favourite Van Gogh. I came home with it on a magnet and a coaster, because of what it stands for. Almond trees flower early in spring, and for …

I had heard about Amsterdam‘s houseboats. I had even watched Rebecca fall into a canal in Ted Lasso and spend the night on one. What I had not grasped was how many …

Most people come to the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam for one painting. I did too. On May 2nd I finally stood in front of the Sunflowers, and my first thought was …

On 1 May we arrived at the W Amsterdam before our room was ready. While we waited, the hotel recommended breakfast at Greenwoods, on the Singel canal. I’ll be honest: I was …